Arc extinguishing chimney



.18.11.23, 1934. AQCLERC' Anc x'rmeursmu :mmm

Filed Maron 31, 1932 Patented Jan. 23, 1934 ARC EXTINGUISHING CHIMNEY 4Andr Clerc, Villeurbanne, France Application March 31, 1932, Serial No. 602,331, and in Germany May 21, 1931 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to arc extinguishing means for circuit breakers and the like.

In these devices, the energy absorbed bythe arc struck between suitable electrodes creates 5 caloriflc effects of an importance dependent on the intensity of the current traversing the arc.

When this current is of the order of several thousand amperes the development of the arc is always accompanied by an explosive phenomenon produced by a sudden elevation of the surrounding medium temperature. When the arc is conned in a limited space, its high temperature produces a sudden pressure increase in the whole space.

In apparatus comprising arc extinguishing means utilizing a gas under pressure, the arc always tends to maintain itself owing to the pressure it creates around itself, which pressure counteracts the action of the extinguishing fluid.

The object of the present invention is to pro4 zo vide means whereby the pressure created by the arc will not oppose the action of the extinguishing uid. It is characterized by devices whereby the medium highly compressed by the heat of the arc is allowed to expand, in order notl to hinder z5 the influx of the extinguishing fluid.

The annexed drawing shows an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically in sectional elevation a circuit breaker with compressed gasl blow out.

Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus in' end elevation.

Fig. 3 shows a transverse section of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

The main contacts of the circuit breaker are shown at a and the blow out contacts at b. The

in which the arc is struck and communicating with two chambers i opened to the atmosphere. The gases produced and compressed by the arc expand laterally, escape .into the chambers i and are thus evacuated to the exterior. Said gases therefore, react very lightly, or none at all on the arc extinguishing gas; thus, at the next passage through zero of the current flowing through the arc, the space surrounding the blow out contacts, which during the whole duration of 6.' the arc has been'swept by the injected gas, is entirely cleared. Consequently, the arc being extinguished before a secondcycle of the current occurs, re-arcing is effectively prevented in a sure and simple manner. I

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. Arc extinguishing device, in air, by means of i a gaseous blast, comprising chimney means to direct an arc extinguishing gaseous blast, and contacts disposed inside the chimney and between which an arc is adapted to be lengthenec said chimney having an inlet opening for the gaseous blast at one extremity and an outlet opening at the other extremity, and auxiliary openings adjacent the arc, to enable part of the gases created by the arc to escape intol the atmosphere. i

2. An extinguishing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary openings are so disposed, in the chimney, that the gases created by the arc escape perpendicularly to the direction of the arc and that of the gaseous blast.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a diverging-wall chimney having auxiliary apertures disposed adjacent the arc, and chambers open to the atmosphere wherein the auxiliary apertures open.

ANDR CLERC. 

